It looks like we’ve got ourselves another “Blank” OF THE LIVING DEAD flick trudging our way. I won’t keep you from the full title another second. This one’s called ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD and I ask, what could possibly separate this one from the rest? Well, how about a chainsaw (metaphorically speaking, of course) because this one has the original Leatherface himself, Gunnar Hansen (above), in it!
Said to be linked to Romero’s original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, here’s how Hansen describes ESCAPE’s plot: “The premise is that, after the last outbreak, some zombies were captured for experimentation, and now they have gotten out. So the whole thing starts all over again.”
Okay, well, that doesn’t sound super original, but maybe it’ll work. And what’s the deal with calling it a continuation of Romero’s classic. I mean, it’s not like ESCAPE was written by the same guy who wrote NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD… oh, wait a minute, it was! That’s right! John Russo, who scripted the original alongside Mr. Romero, not only wrote this current one, he’s also directing it! Now that’s a good reason to be excited. Okay, Leatherface, tell us a little more about your part in this:
“This is a really brilliant role. My character is a biker; he gets zombified and then becomes the lead ghoul. It’s going to be great fun, and yeah, I’m not just making a cameo appearance in this. To me, there is nothing better than being a zombie, so I’m really looking forward to that, and it will be great to be in one of the LIVING DEAD movies. This is a John Russo script and I have known him for a long time, so when I heard he was doing another LIVING DEAD, I was excited at the prospect of being one.”
Works for me! Plus, the cast has got a couple more horror veterans as well: Tony Todd (CANDYMAN), Kane Hodder (numerous JASON movies), and Kristina Klebe (ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN, below). IMDB is listing ESCAPE with a September 1, 2009 release date.
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